Float policy, hand over India's mining wealth to locals with right to inheritance: Representation to President, PM

Participants at the mm&P meet

By A Representative
A high-level meeting of India’s top advocacy group, mines, minerals and People (mm&P), has decided to represent to President Pranab Kumar Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement the concept of "intergenerational equity” to make sure that the next generations are equal shareholders of the natural resources.
The controversial concept, which is directed against corporate houses and other business interests seeking to mine away the natural wealth, has been coined by Goa Foundation, a Goa-based voluntary organization. The concept states, those who depend on natural resources alone are their rightful owners.
Participated by 236 activists, experts, grassroots workers and bureaucrats, the meeting at Kotagiri, Nilgiri Hills, Tamil Nadu, saw Rahul Basu of the Goa Foundation state that society and the government “must not forget that they are just trustees of natural resources and not their owners.”
Referring to what he called “aggressive mining activities and profit mongering crony capitalists' hunger for profit out of natural resources”, Basu stressed on the "public trust" doctrine and the "intergenerational equity" concept – which, he claimed, has been recognized by the Supreme Court as part of the Right to Life.
"The concept of "intergenerational equity would make sure that the next generations are also the equal shareholder of the natural resources”, he said, adding, "As a result of the recommendation from the Goa Foundation, the Supreme Court of India ordered for creation of the Goa Iron Ore Permanent Fund meant to be utilized for the future generations as equal shareholders of the natural resources.”
Following his intervention at the mm&P, the meeting passed a unanimous resolution on "intergenerational equity based on the understanding on public trust doctrine, calling for declaring minerals as shared inheritance.”
Addressed to the President and the Prime Minister of India, participants from all the 20 states signed the resolution, demanding for "intergenerational equity" policy in each and every mining area, and ensuring that it is implemented.
Participated, among others, by former deputy director, Geological Survey of India (GSI), Krishna Murthy, waterman of Rajasthan Rajendra Singh, and Gujarat’s veteran Gandhian tribal leader Ashok Choudhury, the meeting saw the participants regret that the concept of community rights over natural resources was “dying down.”
Krishna Murthy, former deputy-director of GSI expressed his concern over the impact of coal mining on environment and wildlife, saying, the growing demand for electricity for commercial purpose has led to corporate greed for more coal-based power plants, and this is “uprooting millions of lives and livelihoods.”
Speaking the way natural resources are being fleeced, Singh said, while the poor are forced to migrate due to the scarcity of water, private companies are granted permission to extract as much water as they can for their commercial use.
Choudhury regretted that both the Central and state governments are not respecting the rule of law and implementing the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA, 1996) in the tribal areas to empower tribals to have a complete say over natural resources.
Speaking on the occasion, environmental activist CR Bijoy reminded the participants that only five out 17 states with sizable tribal population have so far framed PESA rules, while the rest are hesitant. “Most states are in fact displacing tribals from their lands", he added.

Comments

When democracy becomes a performance: The Tibetan exile experience

By Tseten Lhundup* I was born in Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in southern India. From childhood, I grew up in simple barracks, along muddy roads, and in fields with limited resources. Over the years, I have watched our democratic system slowly erode. Observing the recent budget session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, these “democratic procedures” appear grand and orderly on the surface, yet in reality they amount to little more than empty formalities. The parliamentarians seem largely disconnected from the everyday struggles faced by ordinary exiled Tibetans like us.

Study links sanctions to 500,000 deaths annually leading to rise in global backlash

By Bharat Dogra International opinion is increasingly turning against the expanding burden of sanctions imposed on a growing number of countries. These measures are contributing to humanitarian crises, intensifying domestic discord, and heightening international tensions, thereby increasing the risks of conflicts and wars.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge — Blurring the line between fiction and political narrative

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" does not wait to be remembered; it arrives almost on the heels of its predecessor, released on March 19, 2026, just months after the first film’s December 2025 debut. The speed of its arrival feels less like creative urgency and more like calculated timing—cinema responding not to storytelling rhythm but to the emotional climate of its audience. Director Aditya Dhar, along with actor Yami Gautam, appears acutely aware of this moment and how to harness it.

BJP accounts for 99% of political donations in Gujarat: Corporate giants dominate

By Jag Jivan An analysis of the official data on donations received by national parties from Gujarat during the Financial Year 2024-25 reveals a staggering concentration of funding, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accounting for nearly the entirety of the contributions. The data, compiled in a document titled "National Parties donations received from Gujarat during FY-2024-25," lists thousands of transactions, painting a detailed picture of the financial backing for political parties from one of India’s most industrially significant states.

Alarming decline in India's repair culture threatens circular economy goals: Study

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive new study by environmental research and advocacy organisation Toxics Link has painted a worrying picture of India's fading repair culture, warning that the trend towards replacement over repair is accelerating the country's already critical e-waste crisis.

Beyond the island: Top mythologist reorients the geography of the Ramayana

By Jag Jivan In a compelling new analysis that challenges conventional geographical assumptions about the ancient epic, writer and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik has traced the roots of the Ramayana to the forests and river systems of Central and Eastern India, rather than the peninsular south or the modern island nation of Sri Lanka.

Captains extraordinaire: Ranking cricket’s most influential skippers

By Harsh Thakor* Ranking the greatest cricket captains is a subjective exercise, often sparking passionate debate among fans. The following list is not merely a tally of wins and losses; it is an assessment of leadership’s deeper impact. My criteria fuse a captain’s playing record with their tactical skill, placing the highest consideration on their ability to reshape a team’s fortunes and inspire those around them. A captain who inherited a dominant empire is judged differently from one who resurrected a nation’s cricket from the doldrums. With that in mind, here is my perspective on the finest leaders the game has ever seen.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

‘No merit’ in Chakraborty’s claims: Personal ethics talk sans details raises questions

By Jag Jivan A recent opinion piece published in The Quint by Subhash Chandra Garg has raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the resignation of Atanu Chakraborty from HDFC Bank , with Garg stating that the exit “raises doubts about his own ‘ethics’.” Garg, currently Chief Policy Advisor at Subhanjali and former Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India, writes that the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI ) appears to find no substance in Chakraborty’s claims, noting, “It is clear the RBI sees no merit in Atanu Chakraborty’s wild and vague assertions.”

Search This Blog